Casa Newen Bed and Breakfast has been operating for around 8 years and in that time we have seen a rapid increase in both the number of tourists who visit Chile and the accommodations that are available in Santiago.
I mention this because over the last couple of years, we have received a number of guests at Casa Newen Bed and Breakfast who where in need of last minute accommodation because the departments, hotels and bed and breakfasts that they booked in Santiago was nothing like the photos they saw or the location was not close to the city.
Recently a very nice lady from Canada, knocked on our door asking if we had any rooms available, luckily a couple from San Francisco had just left that morning, we told her that we did and she sighed with relief and sat down to enjoy some tea that we had offered her. After some friendly chit chat she explained that she had booked to stay at a bed and breakfast in Santiago that was very close to the city and was offered a great rate, to be sure she quickly did a google search and found great reviews in tripadvisor.
Well after arriving in Santiago and waiting 1hr for her transfer to pick her up she decided to catch a taxi to her bed and breakfast. When she arrived at the address that was given to her, she found a non nondescript apartment building, puzzled she asked the taxi driver to wait as she rang the button of the complex, A nice lady appeared, and she tried to explain the situation to her.
She was shocked to learn that the “bed and breakfast” that she had booked was nothing more then a rented apartment, were a gentleman asks that they make no noise when they arrive or depart so as not to raise the suspicion of his nieghbours! Their had been various tourists that had left annoyed at the lack of services and the general lack of interest of the “host”
To Luis and my self these stories are becoming more common, we would advice anybody who is thinking of visiting Chile and more specifically Santiago to ask the bed and breakfast which there thinking of staying; how long have they been registered and licenced with the national tourism office SERNATUR and with their local town as a bed and breakfast in Santiago.
If they are not licenced or can not give you a specific answer, STAY AWAY. Of course you can always check this information at the sernatur.cl website.
Casa Newen Bed and Breakfast in Santiago de Chile, was one of the first bed and breakfasts in Santiago. We are a registered and licenced bed and breakfast for the last 8 years and apply the international bed and breakfast standards to all our services.
Adda & Luis Carvajal
Casa Newen Bed and Breakfast
contact@casanewen.com
www.casanewen.com
Our dear country was shaken by an earthquake of the magnitude of 8.8 on the Rhicter Scale.
As our dear President Michelle Bachelet said last night (6th March 2010) at the close of our Telethon for the earthquake victims, “In these hard times, there are two kinds of people, the one´s that cry and the one´s that stand up and work for a better Chile. And most of Chileans belong to the latter.
Our president also said: “Chileans are made of solidarity, love and strength” and last night this was shown as the Chilean people raised more than CLP$30,000,000,000 (USD 57,800,000 approx.) Michelle Bachelet last words to the country were “We are that Chile that stand on its feet, that cry´s when necessary, but rises again”
On a personal note, Casa Newen Bed and Breakfast would also like to thank all our past and future guests and friends that have sent us emails showing their concern for ourselves and our family.
INFO:
Casa Newen Bed and Breakfast is functioning normally. Santiago and surroundings are back to normal. The roads to Valparaiso and Viña del Mar are open. Tour companies are funcioning normally. Wineries will be open in a week. Museums will be open in a month.
The most afected areas are Maule and Bio-Bio ( coastal regional areas, 3 to 4hrs from Santiago)
Thanks again!
Adda & Luis Carvajal
Casa Newen Bed and Breakfast
contact@casanewen.com
www.casanewen.com
Casa Newen offers travelers and tourists our fun santiago tours for the summer of 2010! We organize and arrange private and group tours to the must see attractions that Santiago and Chile has to offer. The tours are with experienced bilingual guides and can be personalized to fit your needs.
There are 10 tours throughout Santiago and central Chile catering to every want imaginable! If you fancy the beach and coastline we offer tours to the iconic port city of Valparaiso and the resort city of Vina del Mar as well as the enchanting fishing town of Zapallar. The Isla Negra and Pomaire tour will take you on a journey into the life of Chile’s Nobel Prize Winner Pablo Neruda, visiting the poets home and Pomaire, the traditional potters village known for it’s handmade arts and crafts.
If you love Chilean wine then the tours in Chile offer a smorgasbord of lush green valleys and vineyards. The Wine Train Tour is a popular tour in Santiago and features an original steam train and a trip to the Colchagua valley. There are also wine tours to the Maipo Valley featuring the vineyards of Concha y Toro, Undurraga. The Colchagua Ranch Tour is a unique experience of Chilean wine and culture with a traditional folklore dance and rodeo as well as visit to the Colchagua Museum.
If you are the outdoors type then a tour of Cajon del Maipo and San jose is a sure bet. Here you will find various activities at your disposal. Trekking El Morado National Park to the San Fransisco Glacier is unforgettable as well as a visit to Colina Thermal Baths, a natural wonderland with the Andes Mountain range as your backdrop.
And finally the Dinner and Show tour highlights the best attractions that Santiago has to offer! The cultural center that is Santiago’s main square, the majestic Cathedral of Santiago and the resilience of the Presidential Palace. Finally a traditional restaurant of Santiago will introduce you to Chile’s typical dances, wines and gastronomy.
Visit our website at www.casanewen.com and view our Tours section for more info. You can also book a tour by clicking on “bookings and enquiries” or by Clicking Here you can also reach us by sending an email at contact@casanewen.com or by Tel:+56 02 716 9007 (Santiago de Chile)
We pride ourselves on providing travelers, guests and tourists our renowned personal service and friendly advice so we hope you discover Chile with our Santiago tours
Newen Craft Shop - Traditional Chilean Craft Shop by Native Artists at Casa Newen. By Adda
Quite a few years ago while living in Australia, I felt home sick and yearned to create something that reminded me of the beauty of Chile. I started to play with clay and made a rosary that is now decorating one of our guest rooms at our bed and breakfast in Santiago. My second piece was an original Mapuche women which has started to crack, as at the time I did not know that it needed to go to the kiln!
Since then, I have been interested in making ethnic - native chilean themed pottery / gres pieces as gifts or souvenirs. As I have created quite a few, the idea for our “Newen Craft Shop” was born. The purpose is to highlight the beauty and culture that Chile has to offer to all the tourists that come to Casa Newen Bed and Breakfast.
Most of the pieces that are available at our “Newen Craft Shop” including the collection of “Mates” (a mug to have “yerba mate” a herbal tea with a “bombilla”) are inspired by pre-columbian “Mapuches” and “Atacameños” (Native Chilean’s) designs. The striking miniature pre-columbian masks and other pieces are made by the well known artists Jorge Vallejos and Bernardita Vallejos.
The Newen Craft Shop is located at our bed and breakfast in Santiago and is open to all our guests and travelers all year round. If you are visiting Santiago de Chile and would like to see our unique Chilean gifts or souvenirs please do not hesitate to visit our craft shop in Providencia to take a little piece of Chile back home!
It’s that time of the year again! but this time we have promised to get all our Christmas presents on time for the family’s children, and believe us, we are a large family!
So we decided to get some bargains at the little shops close to “El Mercado Central” and have the chance to eat a good sized plate of fresh sea food …“erizos al matico”, after finishing our shopping spree.
You can feel that summer has already arrived, these last few days have been very hot, a maximum of 32° and people are rushing to get their presents.
Fortunately our “Metro” (Subway) is very fast. So from Manuel Montt Metro station to Universidad de Chile, there are only five stations, to get to “El Paseo Ahumada” or down town Santiago. While passing through “Plaza de Armas” you can see posters that read “Christmas is coming, don`t forget its real meaning”…
Close to the “Plaza de Armas” we can see, as an oasis in a desert, a cart selling our traditional beverage “Mote con Huesillos”, a typical Chilean non alcoholic drink and dessert. It is boiled sun-dried peaches (huesillo) with sugar, mixed with husked wheat (mote). The cool sweet flavored water and the wheat is mixed in a glass with the peaches … Oh so refreshing!
Casa Newen Bed and Breakfast whishes everybody a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
One of the first questions most of our guests to Casa Newen ask is “how can I get down town?” Well the answer is simple. If you like, you could walk a few blocks to catch the Metro, or if you are in a rush you can catch several types of Taxi´s (distinguished by a black body and yellow roof) around the corner from Casa Newen Bed & Breakfast.
A Colectivo is a type of taxi that has a specific route shown on a sign on top of their roof. it takes a maximum of four people, that hop on board anywhere along the route. The fee starts from $350 to a maximum of $400 (Chilean Pesos) per person, depending on where you get off. It is the ideal transport for 1-2 people to take from Casa Newen to the Manuel Montt Metro Station and vice versa.
A Traditional Taxi starts from $200 (Chilean Pesos) and has the advantage of dropping you off exactly where you want. They also appear more frequently and let you pay for the ride, so it is more cost effective for 3-4 people.
Another thing to be aware of is that the cost of taxi´s can vary from day to night-time. The best thing to do is ask your driver before-hand how much the journey will cost. If it seems unreasonable move on.
With these small tips you should have no problem navigating around Santiago and across the beautiful country that we call Chile.
During the time we have had our bed & breakfast we have heard the same comment from our guests “Your Metro/Subway is excellent!”. And they are right, Chileans are very proud of their French built “Metro”. It is clean, fast and safe.
The closest Metro station from Casa Newen Bed & Breakfast is called “Manuel Montt” and it’s located on the red line route. If you want to visit down town, simply catch the Metro at the Manuel Montt station and get off at the “Universidad de Chile” Metro station, from there you can visit the main attractions Santiago has to offer. The ticket or “Boleto” cost´s $370 (Chilean Pesos).
As you are allowed to take with you a bag or a suit case, tourists who travel by bus to the north of Chile and by train to the south, take the Metro to the “Estación Central” Metro station, if they are heading south by bus they get off at the next station, “Universidad de Santiago”. These stations have bus terminals with connections all over Chile.
If you happen to get off at the wrong station, you can just go around to the opposite platform, free of charge. You will find that some Metro stations can be very busy in the peak hours, it is always good to remember that people who are getting off always have the preference!
If you know how to read spanish, you can visit the official Metro web site at www.metrosantiago.cl it is very informative for first time visitors to Chile.
During the wonderful time that Luis and I have been running Casa Newen Bed and Breakfast, we have had many guests from all over the world. Some of our guests come to Chile with learned spanish skills, some arrive knowing a few words, while the adventures come with little or no knowledge of the spanish language.
What amazes most of our worldwind travelers is that Chilean Spanish can be VERY different from the traditional language. It can take a little more work to understand what exactly is being said but this should not be to much of a problem for visitors to Chile.
You will find that Chileans are more then willing to listen and find out exactly what your trying to say. And if that doesn´t work you can always pick up a book recommended to use by one of our guests. ¨How To Survive in the Chilean Jungle 2¨ is an expansive and entertaining lexicon of Chilean slang and Spanish sayings written by John Brennan & Alvaro. We think it is a perfect companion for first time visitors to Chile.
